Hitman with a Badass System

"Alright, that statue does resemble Gaya, but what kind of temple is this?" Ayag asked, his curiosity piqued by the statue's likeness to the goddess.

With cautious steps, Michael entered the temple, taking in the flickering candlelight that cast an eerie glow over the space. Despite the darkness, the temple appeared immaculately maintained.

"Who leaves flowers here?" Michael mused aloud, plucking a lotus blossom from where it lay at the statue's feet.

"Search the area, see if we can find any information about this temple," Cain suggested, Vedora's three heads swiveling to scan the surroundings.

"Over there," Sarba suddenly pointed out, his gaze fixed on a wooden plank affixed to the temple wall.

Curious, Michael approached the plank and read its inscription aloud, his surprise evident in his tone. "This is the temple of the goddess of all monsters. Pray to her for great goddess Gaya's protection from all monsters."

"It seems the previous Gaya had her temples scattered across this realm," Michael speculated.

As he spoke, Michael activated his X-ray vision, scanning the temple for concealed doors or mechanisms. During his search, he noticed a small recess at the base of the statue. Returning to where he had plucked the flower, he squatted down.

Michael pressed his hand onto the statue's base, seeking some hidden mechanism or reaction. Ayag, Sarba, and Cain observed with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

"What's your plan?" Ayag inquired.

"I sense something inside," Michael replied, his tone indicating his focus.

"Then, break it open," Ayag suggested matter-of-factly.

"When has that ever worked?" Sarba chimed in, his tone slightly exasperated.

Taking a closer look, Michael discovered a small hole in the statue's base. The hole was almost concealed beneath accumulated sand and dust. After blowing away the debris, he carefully inserted his finger into the opening.

"Sticking your finger into an unknown hole – great idea," Ayag quipped sarcastically.

Amid the banter, Michael suddenly let out a shout.

"Ouch!"

Ayag's eyes widened in surprise, almost jumping at the sudden exclamation. But her shock turned into annoyance as she realized Michael was laughing at her reaction.

"Why are you being such a jerk?" she growled, angrily nipping at Michael's ear.

However, Michael's laughter subsided as he felt a sharp sting on his finger, akin to a needle prick. A drop of his blood fell into the opening, prompting a slight tremor beneath the statue. A portion of the ground slid aside, revealing a worn parchment.

"What's this?" Michael wondered, brushing away the dust before carefully unfolding the parchment.

"If you're reading this letter, you've stumbled upon one of the hidden letters we placed in the temples of Gaya. We must confess, this is just an elaborate prank. We were dreadfully bored while constructing this temple, so we decided to amuse ourselves by creating a secret chamber and leaving this note. There are more of our letters scattered throughout the realm. Collect them all, and you'll have quite the tale to tell. Cheers!" Michael read aloud, his voice a mix of disbelief and amusement.

As Michael finished reading the letter, Ayag's frustration was palpable in her words.

"Seriously, everyone in this world seems like an asshole or a jerk. What a waste of time. I actually thought we'd find something meaningful here," Ayag grumbled in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Vedora noticed Michael's unwavering gaze on the letter, his brows furrowed in thought.

"He seems to have found something we didn't," observed Sarba, waiting for Michael to explain.

Michael's attention was fixed on the letter as he spoke up, revealing his findings.

"This letter, it's made to look ancient, but it isn't. It was placed here about three years ago, give or take," Michael revealed after analyzing the letter with his newly acquired skill.

"What's even more intriguing is that this letter contains Morse code," Michael continued.

"What's Morse code?" Ayag inquired.

"It's a method of communication that uses combinations of dots and dashes to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. Dots are short signals, while dashes are longer ones. Each character is encoded using a unique combination of these dots and dashes, forming a message," Cain explained the concept, his knowledge surprising both Ayag and Sarba.

"Where did you learn this?" Sarba asked Cain.

"During the time you two were asleep, arguing about who would win in a fight between Trista and Lenora," Cain shared with a hint of amusement.

"You're such a nerd," Ayag couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay, so you're saying there might be a hidden message in this? If so, what does it say?" Sarba redirected the conversation before it could turn into another Ayag-Cain banter.

"It decodes to 'Get to the God of Darkness's temple in Misty Swamp,'" Michael unveiled the true message hidden within the code.

"Unless someone suddenly became a Morse code expert in this world, the person who left this message is likely from Earth," Michael's tone turned serious. While he had met Hunter from Earth, he was in a different universe entirely, and he wasn't one to leave cryptic messages.

"Let's focus on rescuing Marli's worshippers first, and then we can head to the Misty Swamp," Michael concluded, rising to his feet, ready to leave the temple.

Just as Michael was about to step outside the temple, a sudden rush of five men entered, catching his attention. These newcomers were dwarves, characterized by their stocky builds, long beards, and battle axes slung across their backs.

"Look who we've got here!" announced the leading dwarf, his face adorned with a scar that ran across his cheek. He pointed a grubby finger in Michael's direction.

Michael surveyed them, his gaze lingering on the protective chains around their necks. He couldn't help but notice the familiarity of those chains.

"Have we crossed paths before?" Michael inquired, though his eyes betrayed a hint of wariness.

"Never met, but you sure managed to make someone real mad. They put quite the bounty on your head," growled the dwarf leader, his tone oozing hostility.

Michael was taken aback; after all, he had only arrived in this world a day ago.

"Trust me, I'd know if I'd made someone that mad. I think you've got the wrong guy," Michael calmly responded, seeking to defuse the situation.

"Nah, we're pretty sure. You're a human, not exactly easy on the eyes, and you've got a hydra as your buddy," the leader dwarf chuckled.

"Hey, there you go, admitting I'm not ugly," Michael quipped.

"Wait, are you guys not surprised to see a hydra?" Ayag interjected, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Not really. We've seen those scholar types bring back all sorts of endangered species," another dwarf, who wore glasses, chimed in matter-of-factly.

"Bring back?" Ayag's astonishment was palpable, yet the thought of someone attempting to artificially create her noble race stirred both hope and anger within her.

"Listen, dwarves, I'm not really in the mood for games right now. Normally, I might just give you a good beating because you all look kinda cute. But today, I'm in the mood for some bloodshed. So tell me who put that bounty on my head and get out of my sight," Michael issued his ultimatum, granting the dwarves an opportunity to retreat, even though he suspected they wouldn't take it. In their eyes, Michael didn't exude the aura of a god, thanks to Nithroel's medallion he wore.

Seeing Michael as an easy target, the dwarves believed they could overpower and eliminate him without much effort.

"Did you just call us cute?!" another dwarf bellowed, fueled by anger.

"My apologies for my friend's rudeness. Instead of cute, he should have used the term 'mother-fucking ugly'," Ayag retorted, her words striking a nerve and igniting the dwarves' fury.

"You're going to regret this, creature. We'll cut you down and feed your remains to the monsters out there," the leader dwarf threatened, his voice dripping with malice.

"Wow, that's your best retort? You might want to work on your comebacks. Learning is growing up" Sarba mocked, clearly unimpressed.

"That's ice-cold. 'Growing up,' he says, hahaha!" Ayag erupted in laughter, taunting the dwarves for their stature.

"KILL THEM!" The dwarves, unable to contain their rage any longer, charged at Michael with their battle axes raised high.

Yet, as the leader dwarf closed in, Michael remained composed. With a deliberate motion, he activated the potion-spraying mechanism on his palm, releasing a paralyzing mist into the air. The leader dwarf unwittingly inhaled the mist and promptly froze in place, collapsing to the ground like a lifeless statue.

"DOGU!" the other dwarves cried out, but their cries fell on deaf ears. Michael continued to disperse the paralyzing potion into the air, rendering the dwarves immobile one by one.

With the dwarves now paralyzed, Michael approached Dogu, the leader of the group, and effortlessly lifted him by the neck. The dwarf was powerless to move, save for his eyes.

Securing Dogu in one hand, Michael's other hand extended, a needle emerging from his palm. The needle found its mark in the dwarf's mouth, injecting an antidote that would restore his ability to speak, albeit temporarily.

"What the heck did you do?" the dwarf's voice was a mixture of rage and astonishment.

"I'll be the one asking questions here. If you don't answer, I'll remove this," Michael's fingers played with the silver chain, his tone resolute.

"No, no, no, please..." The dwarf's panic was palpable. He understood that removing the chain would expose them to the sand emperor's danger.

"Who placed the bounty on my head?" Michael's inquiry was sharp.

"How would we know? We just came across a poster with your description and whereabouts," the dwarf responded.

"Where did you come across this poster?" Michael probed further.

"Bermian city," came the dwarf's answer.

"Where's that?" Ayag's voice chimed in.

The dwarf appeared somewhat bewildered by the question; after all, Bermian city was the sole settlement in the Vikan desert. It stood at the desert's edge, safeguarded from the monster-infested regions.

"North from here," the dwarf replied.

While Michael continued his questioning, his sharp eyes caught a glimmer on one of the buttons adorning the dwarf's leather armor. Picking up the button, he discerned tiny, nearly invisible runes etched onto it.

"A hidden camera?" Michael's surprise was evident. Once again, he was caught off guard by the presence of concealed surveillance.

Lifting the button to his face, he addressed the camera directly. "To whoever's watching, know this: I'm coming for you." With that, he crushed the camera, his analyzer confirming that the feed's source couldn't be traced.